A fresh leadership crisis has erupted within the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) New Era faction as Comrade Adesina Akinpelu has rejected his purported expulsion from the group, describing the action as unconstitutional and without legal backing.
Akinpelu insisted that he remains a national leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, arguing that the National Executive Council (NEC) led by Alhaji Rasaq Arogundade Balogun, popularly known as “Sadam,” no longer has the authority to take such a decision.
According to him, the NEC that announced his expulsion ceased to exist on December 12, 2025, following the expiration of its eight-year tenure as stipulated in the organisation’s constitution.
Speaking on the development, Akinpelu—who served as National Publicity Secretary in the dissolved NEC—said the crisis began after Balogun allegedly refused to step aside to allow the formation of a caretaker committee that would oversee the affairs of the organisation pending the election of a new NEC.
He accused Balogun of attempting to hold on to power and deliberately heightening tensions within the group.
“In his bid to sit tight in office, Sadam is trying to ignite violence within the organisation. This development has already been reported to the Department of State Services (DSS) in Lagos,” Akinpelu said.
He further disclosed that the matter was also reported to the police at the Nigeria Police Force Zone 2 Command in Onikan, Lagos, where members involved in the dispute were invited for questioning.
According to Akinpelu, the police directed all parties to sign an undertaking committing themselves to maintaining peace across Lagos and other states in Yorubaland pending the outcome of investigations into the leadership dispute.
“We are still waiting for the report of police findings when Sadam, alongside the Secretary of the dissolved NEC, Chief Bayo Oyename, came out with the purported letter of expulsion without consultation or approval from the Elders’ Council,” he said.
Akinpelu maintained that under the OPC New Era constitution, only the Elders’ Council has the authority to discipline or expel leaders of the organisation.
He therefore declared that the purported expulsion would not stand.
The OPC chieftain further accused Balogun of plotting actions capable of triggering violence within the group, contrary to the collective resolution of senior leaders who had earlier agreed that the leadership dispute should not degenerate into bloodshed.
The unfolding development underscores growing tension within OPC New Era as members await the outcome of police investigations and possible steps toward resolving the leadership crisis.
